DPW orders Occupy SF tents to move

Occupy San Francisco protesters received a surprise visit on Saturday from police and the Department of Public Works.

Protesters voluntarily moved about 25 tents onto the concrete and off a grassy area at Justin Herman Plaza on Saturday in order to comply with measures rolled out by DPW. The move reinvigorated protesters.

A group of police officers escorted hundreds of Occupy protesters as they marched up Market Street Saturday afternoon following the order by DPW.

In front of the Federal Building on Market Street, public workers dressed in blue sanitation suits asked protesters to remove their tents. The campers locked arms in defiance.

DPW eventually left after several tents voluntarily came down. A short time afterward, one tent went back up.

At Justin Herman Plaza, protesters complied with the order to move tents off the lawn and onto the concrete. A DPW spokesperson told ABC7 they had no plans to return on Saturday.

Still, the protesters are not in complete compliance: Mayor Ed Lee called Occupy SF an unsanitary environment and public health officials deemed it a nuisance. Protesters still refused to leave.

"Now, we're going to wait to see if the cops decide to show up," said protester Prince Daring. "They're trying to catch us off guard."

Another protester, who goes by the name "Montana," said the protesters were unstoppable.

"As many times as they take down our stuff, they can't take down our heart and our message," Montana said.

Protester Aaron Fraser admitted he was worried.

"It's very stressful to be out here," Fraser said. "There's always the threat of a raid."

There wasn't a large police presence at the Occupy San Francisco camp. DPW officials wouldn't say if police have been given future orders for an eviction.

At 9:30 p.m., protesters will march from the main camp to Union Square and then back to the camp where a candlelight vigil will be held.